MAKING “NONESSENTIAL” FAMILY/VOLUNTEER CAREGIVING ESSENTIAL IN LONG-TERM CARE HOMES

Abstract For individuals living in long-term care (LTC), loneliness is often a concern. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this is only exacerbated as strict restrictions are put in place on visits between residents and their loved ones and on volunteer presence. Understanding how these changes affect residents, family caregivers, and volunteers is paramount to best implement changes with regards to how family/volunteer caregiving presence is managed during pandemics. The objective of this study was to gain a better understanding of the response to COVID-19 that pertains to the family caregiver and volunteer presence in LTC and increase the evidence about the impact of reduced levels of family caregivers and volunteers on residents, caregivers, and volunteers. A total of 64 semi-structured interviews were conducted with caregivers and volunteers. Of these interviews, 49 were one-time interviews and 15 were weekly interviews over a 5-month period to examine the impact of the ever-changing pandemic restrictions on caregivers, volunteers, and residents. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews and two independent researchers coded each interview. Results highlight the importance of connections in LTC, the feeling that human rights were neglected, the importance of flexibility amongst staff, the role of caregivers as advocates for residents, increased caregiver guilt, and resident decline in physical and emotional well-being. The role of family caregivers and volunteers as essential in LTC homes will be discussed and recommendations to revisit policies on the family caregiver and volunteer presence to improve the preparedness for future pandemics and outbreaks will be presented.


OPTIMAL AGING AND SATISFACTION WITH SOCIAL SUPPORT DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Hye Soo Lee 1 , Soyoung Choun 1 , Maria Kurth 1 , Heidi Igarashi 1 , Dylan Lee 2 , and Carolyn Aldwin 1 , 1. Oregon State University, Corvallis,Oregon,United States,2. Touro University Nevada,Henderson,Nevada,United States Social support is important for optimal aging, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when older adults are at risk of social isolation and its attendant health problems. Providing support may be especially protective of health outcomes. We examined whether actual received, provided, and satisfaction with support were related to optimal aging early in the pandemic (April-May, 2020). Survey participants (N=238) were on average 71.2 years old (SD=7.3), 73% female, 92.6% White, and highly educated (48% with post-graduate degrees). Optimal aging (Aldwin & Igarashi, 2016) was indicated by a latent variable of health outcomes, including depressive symptoms, cognitive lapses, and physical symptoms. Nearly all older adults (90+%) reported receiving or providing actual support from or to at least one family member or friend. We investigated the associations between age, summed social support, satisfaction with support, and health outcomes, controlling for chronic illnesses. Two SEM models were estimated for received support and provided support, respectively. After trimming nonsignificant paths, both models had acceptable fits (CFI > .90, RMSEA < .08, SRMR < .08). Age and chronic illnesses had negative associations with health outcomes, but neither received nor provided social support was significant. However, satisfaction with both received and provided support were significant and independently associated with optimal aging in both models. Thus, isolation levels in this sample were surprisingly low, as indicated by high levels of social support received and provided. However, only the quality of (or satisfaction with) support was important for optimal aging during this unique and shared stressful experience.

. US Department of Veterans Affairs, Menlo Park, California, United States
Background: Studies show disparities in healthcare have exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer + (LGBTQ+) older adults. The aim of this paper is to understand health care utilization and accessibility among LGBTQ+ older adults and to examine if social assets, such as income, education, and employment are associated with health care utilization and accessibility.
Methods: Data from BRFSS 2020 was used. Study focused on LGBTQ+ and non-LGBTQ+, age 65 and older, comparing health care utilization and accessibility. Data was weighted for complex sampling design. Logistic regression was used to examine the odds of health care accessibility and health care utilization while controlling for socioeconomic status.
Results: Total sample size of study was 14,453. 6.14% of participants identified as LGBTQ+, which 11% of them were unemployed (CI=0.08-0.17), 21% earned less than $15,000 annually (CI=0.15-0.28), and 35% did not graduate from high school (CI=0.27-0.44). Our analyses indicated LGBTQ+ are less likely to have primary health care provider than non-LGBTQ+ (OR=0.64; CI=0.48-0.84); they are less likely to have health care insurance than non-LGBTQ+ (OR=0.60; CI=0.39-0.93). We did not find association if LGBTQ+ are less likely to seek medical help, when needed, due to cost (OR=0.72; CI=0.53-1.02). Our findings suggest disparities in socioeconomic status, such as income, employment, and education have significant association with health care accessibility and health care utilization. Limitation of study includes recall bias due to self-report. Longitudinal and qualitative research regarding healthcare utilization and accessibility among older LGBTQ+ population need to be explored.

AGE DIFFERENCES IN SELF-CONTINUITY REMAIN ROBUST IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Yi Lu, and Corinna Löckenhoff, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States